NBA Coaches Salaries: Highest & Lowest Paid Coaches in the League

Below you’ll find the estimated average yearly salaries for most of the head coaches in the NBA. Teams rarely disclose the exact amount that they pay their coaches, but sometimes they do make the base salary figure available. We’ve compiled as many as we could find, listed in order of highest to lowest paid.

Sources range from team releases themselves to reports on Twitter (from respected journalists only), however, we cannot guarantee their accuracy.

Gregg Popovich is currently the highest paid coach in the league, but keep in mind that he is technically both the head coach and president of the Spurs, so his salary considers his duties for both positions. With the success Pop has had in San Antonio, he deserves every penny.

At this time we are unable to locate approximate salaries for Nate McMillan (Pacers), Earl Watson (Suns), Mike Malone (Nuggets), and Quin Snyder (Jazz).

List of NBA Head Coach Salaries from Highest to Lowest Paid

Head Coach

Team

Approx. Salary

Gregg Popovich

San Antonio Spurs

$11,000,000

Doc Rivers

Los Angeles Clippers

$10,000,000

Tom Thibodeaux

Minnesota Timberwolves

$10,000,000

Rick Carlisle

Dallas Mavericks

$7,000,000

Stan Van Gundy

Detroit Pistons

$7,000,000

Scott Brooks

Washington Wizards

$7,000,000

Billy Donovan

Oklahoma City Thunder

$6,000,000

Jason Kidd

Milwaukee Bucks

$6,000,000

Dwane Casey

Toronto Raptors

$6,000,000

Frank Vogel

Orlando Magic

$5,500,000

Fred Hoiberg

Chicago Bulls

$5,000,000

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

$5,000,000

Jeff Hornacek

New York Knicks

$5,000,000

Terry Stotts

Portland Trail Blazers

$5,000,000

Luke Walton

Los Angeles Lakers

$5,000,000

Dave Joerger

Sacramento Kings

$4,000,000

Mike D’Antoni

Houston Rockets

$4,000,000

Brad Stevens

Boston Celtics

$3,666,667

Alvin Gentry

New Orleans Pelicans

$3,437,500

Tyronn Lue

Cleveland Cavaliers

$3,000,000

Erik Spoelstra

Miami Heat

$3,000,000

David Fizdale

Memphis Grizzlies

$2,550,000

Kenny Atkinson

Brooklyn Nets

$2,500,000

Mike Budenholzer

Atlanta Hawks

$2,000,000

Steve Clifford

Charlotte Hornets

$2,000,000

Brett Brown

Philadelphia 76ers

$2,000,000

Nate McMillan

Indiana Pacers

Earl Watson

Phoenix Suns

Mike Malone

Denver Nuggets

Quin Snyder

Utah Jazz

Even Average and Low End NBA Head Coaches Make Out Better Than Most

Looking at the list above there are some surprises. Detroit is paying Van Gundy top money but he hasn’t returned the results they are looking for. Big money lured Fred Hoiberg away from Iowa State and yet that franchise has gone from contender to not even making the playoffs.

Steve Kerr looks like a solid deal, and I also like the job Erik Spoelstra and Brad Stevens have done on the bread crumbs their franchise has given them. I’d expect those three to command major pay raises when it comes time to talk extension.

Even an average head coach is doing alright. The median stands at around $3.5 million per season. The lowest paid head coach pulls in $2 million. Not bad when you play 82 games a year. That’s about $25,000 per game.